Programmes & projects

Brazil surveys data holdings and informatics capacity

The national biodiversity information system for Brazil, SiBBr, has launched a survey of the data on biodiversity and ecosystems held by more than 200 institutions in the country, helping to mobilize data from GBIF’s newest Participant.

The new national biodiversity information system for Brazil, SiBBr, has launched a survey of the data on biodiversity and ecosystems held by more than 200 institutions in the country.

The survey, carried out online through the website www.sibbr.gov.br, will also assess the informatics infrastructure of potential partners in the system, including universities, research centres and other scientific bodies.

SiBBr aims to integrate biodiversity and ecosystem data from diverse sources and make them available for research and policy formulation in Brazil. It is a programme of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI – www.mcti.gov.br), supported technically by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and financially by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Mercedes Bustamante, director of policies and programmes for MCTI, and also an additional delegate to the GBIF Governing Board, said the survey was an important step in the participative process of constructing SiBBr. “Detailed identification of the circumstances of the institutions in terms of the data structures relevant to the system, as well as the informatics capacity available, will enable the most appropriate design of the system and associated initiatives, aimed at avoiding any potential difficulties,” said Professor Bustamante.

The survey will consider all available data in institutions such as herbaria and biological, zoological and micro-organism collections. Bibliographic and cartographic data will also be included.

The research consists of two questionnaires, one directed at collection curators and those responsible for catalogues, and the other for those dealing with informatics, who will provide the information about infrastructure.

The National Teaching and Research Network (RNP - http://www.rnp.br) one of the principal partners in SiBBr has played a key role in the current research design and implementation phase. Another principal partner, the National Centre for Scientific Computing (LNCC - www.lncc.br), hosts the GBIF national node for Brazil.